Kenston schools gets waiver from state kindergarten mandate

BAINBRIDGE Kenston Local Schools will not pursue a board-paid kindergarten program proposed by the state due to funding concerns.

The board stated plans in February for submitting the required waiver to the Ohio Board of Education to delay applying this program. The district has a tuition-based all-day kindergarten program that serves an estimated 60 percent of district parents.

The district approved a waiver request for the state board to delay implementing the all-day every day-kindergarten program, non-parent pay for 2010-2011 school year.

Many area school districts are concerned over locally funding their current kindergarten programs.

“The current all-day kindergarten program was developed way back as an additional service to parents; if you wanted them here all-day, it is available at a cost,” said district superintendent, Dr. Robert Lee. “What we were finding out was that the district was busing a significant amount of children to daycares for the other half of the day.

“To many of those parents it probably saved some money to be at our full day program instead of daycare.”

The state is requiring all districts to implement a school funded all-day every-day kindergarten program in 2010-2011 for all students. With the passage of amended House Bill 318, however, if this is not possible for a district, a waiver is in place for one year. School districts must fill out a waiver form to the Ohio Board of Education.

According to the state board, a copy of the school district plan for providing all-day, every-day kindergarten in school year 2011-2012 is required when submitting the formal waiver.

Due to the limitations on school funding, the board is submitting the Ohio Board of Education waiver and plan with an intention of not pursing a school funded all-day every-day kindergarten, “until passage of a levy beyond 2010, the restoration of tangible personal property replacement dollars, and current state aid meets or exceeds FY 2010 levels.”

For current and future kindergarten parents this means there will be no changes to the tuition-based kindergarten program.

District concerns about this program are primarily financial, since the district is receiving minimal to no help from the state. Kenston Schools will lose about $3 million a year due to losses from the state’s tangible personal property tax reduction.

Also, Kenston does not want to impose a levy on the community this year.

“We are about a year or so from a levy,” Lee said. “This issue accelerates the need for a levy if we implemented this now, meaning it would take a year off the life of the current levy.”

Kenston wants to extend the levy’s life as much as possible for residents.

“With limited funds from the state and the current economic climate, there is no additional money to implement this state mandated request,” Lee said.

Kenston will not unfold the state’s school funded program until assurances are made that supported funds will be available to the district.

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